Gran Turismo 5 out by the end of the month, just!

After numerous delays that got racing fans so hot under the collar that series creator Kazunori Yamauchi literally had to beg for forgiveness, Gran Turismo 5 finally has a solid release date!

The premier driving sim will now hit PS3’s on November 24th, 21 days after it’s last stated release date of November 3rd.

“Gran Turismo 5 is an ambitious project, with challenges and complexities which have made it our version of the Apollo Space Programme,” said Kazunori Yamauchi, President of Polyphony Digital Inc.

Not least of these was the commitment to have the game running at a constant 60fps without a drop in frame rate, helping to keep cruising about as silky as possible.

“When we created the original Gran Turismo back in 1997, we wanted to set a completely new precedent for the racing genre. With the technological leap onto PlayStation 3, our objective with GT5 was to create another great revolution which would not only satisfy our own high expectations, but would meet or even exceed the anticipation of the fans.

“Satisfying the loyal Gran Turismo followers is at the heart of all of our efforts, which is why it was such a difficult decision to delay the release of the game, and one which we did not take lightly. I can only apologise to everyone for making you wait so long, and I hope that when you try out the wealth of driving experiences available in Gran Turismo 5, you will not be disappointed.”

Just in time for Christmas then. As the age old saying goes, better late than never!